1. Field
The present disclosure generally relates to the transmission of data over a network, and more particularly to the use of a computing device to view data communicated over a network.
2. Description of the Related Art
Mobile devices are particularly constrained by display size. As a result, web browsers for mobile devices often display only a portion of a web page within their limited device screen space (“viewport”). The dimensions of the viewport are determined based on the web browser's determination of screen space (e.g., pixels) available to display the web page. A user must scroll to read content for the web page that is not displayed within the viewport.
Two approaches are commonly taken to rendering content outside the viewport: (1) content outside of the viewport is rendered when it comes within the viewport, or (2) all web page content, including content outside of the viewport, is rendered immediately when the web page is loaded by the web browser. Each approach has its drawbacks. If the content outside the viewport is rendered when it comes within the viewport, there may be a delay in rendering the content outside the viewport for display within the viewport, and as a result the user may see a blank screen or a part of a blank screen. If all of the content outside the viewport is rendered when the web page is loaded, it may cause unnecessary delay and result in inefficient use of battery power, processing capacity, and memory, especially if the user does not view the content outside viewport.